6 Rules to Increase Productivity at Work

August 25, 2016

Ever wondered how sometimes it feels like you have accomplished tons of objectives in a day and at other days it seems like you simply breezed through the day and practically stared at your laptop all day? Relax. It’s normal. You are not a robot. These things happen sometimes. There are several misconceptions on how to get a productive day or week and honestly, I pretty much believed most.

The most important thing to note is that productivity may vary over time. There is no certain way to achieve productivity but there are ways to enhance and help you maintain a balance. Some people believe that you have to carry out certain acts daily to be productive forgetting that one day may be different from the other.

Secondly, you have to measure productivity by the average of your overall performance in a week. You want to take each week and evaluate how productive it was by considering your improvement or several achievements for the week.

I recently had a conversation with a friend and she was complaining of how unproductive she had been lately and had reasons to believe that she may be reprimanded soon if care wasn’t taken. Anyways, we decided to add a little twist to her daily routine. If you have been religious with this blog, you’d notice how I always emphasize on the significance of planning and I also mentioned that HERE. I encourage you to write out your daily tasks because it goes a long way.

Productivity varies from time to time

I already explained this, but yet again, productivity varies. Today may be way too productive and tomorrow may not. Embrace it. Accept it and work with it. You don’t need to force it. Your body may be tired and it’s expected, after all, you are only human. I also believe that if you sleep better, then your day may be more productive. You have gotten enough rest and it’s expected that you will feel more energized to accomplish all set goals.

The power of handwritten notes

I recognize that some people will rather just type out their tasks on their electronic device or organizer and this is very unlike me (for some reasons I’m not too tech-savvy really), little wonder I always have a notepad and a pen with me almost every time, even now, but there are exceptions.

My friend happens to be one of those people that will type stuff in an electronic device and she noticed that she wasn’t necessarily following or updating her tasks accordingly. There happens to be something special that goes along with a longhand note. Most writers will swear that writer’s block can be avoided when they rather put pen to paper.

Personally, I love my hand written notes but understandably I can’t always have to write out things because of the information age and global change. However, I encourage you to write out your daily tasks. One thing that happens is that these tasks become personal to you because it’s handwritten. Also, a new research reveals that handwritten notes may make you smarter, so why not?

So she wrote out her tasks and stuck it just in front of her desk, close enough for her eyes to see it regularly. Yes, it worked! She was paying more attention to it. She was going step by step! There was a formula she had created to help her keep track of her tasks. She had a productive day and week! Like I explained earlier, yesterday may not be as productive as today because we are human. But there was an improvement in her week and she could tell.

No need for long hours

Also, there are days that are naturally slow. Obviously, that won’t make a productive day. The honest thing to do is not to force it. Deep within you, you know that sometimes you wake up and achieve so much even beyond your expectations, other days you just feel clogged! Sigh. Maybe it’s time for a rest. A movie. Time out with friends. There is no reason for you to think that working longer hours will help you achieve productivity.

You will rather feel miserable knowing that you are spending a whole unproductive day trying to do practically nothing. Just go home at the close of business day and work towards making the next day more productive. Chances are, if you rest more today, you will be more productive tomorrow.

Know what you can do

There are times when you realize that you can’t do something but because you want to, you take up to the task. You need to know what you can and can’t do at work. I am not saying you should limit your capability or stay within your comfort zone. However, when you find it necessary, try to delegate your tasks to help you achieve productivity. Also, deciding to multitask may end up limiting your productivity. If you notice you are finding a job difficult to do, take your time and do it one after the other. The essential thing is to complete your tasks efficiently, if doing this gradually will help, then so be it!

Also, if you notice that you can finish up a task quickly then do it as soon as possible and carry out the longer tasks afterward.

Work hard, work smart!

Find happiness

If you are unhappy with your job, then you will most likely be unproductive at every point in time. There is an article HERE on how to be happy at your job and I encourage you to read it. You need to have something you look forward to, for you to be productive at work and I really do hope you find happiness. Also, work-life balance is also a necessity to increase productivity at work. As you would expect, there is also an article on the blog to help give you work-life balance. You can read it HERE.

Consistency

You need to keep up with writing out your tasks. Have a pattern that works for you. Try as much as possible to schedule tasks and set time frames. Doing this will ensure that you work with the time you have and meet up all goals you have in place. You need to set deadlines for yourself and stick to it. This will help you maximize your day.

I know how important it can be to have a productive day. I am usually so happy and excited when I have a productive day. More importantly, it makes your employer have more value for you and I know that you want that. That is why I was so thrilled to post this article and I hope you enjoy it and learn how to improve productivity at work. Now, measure your productivity by the average of your overall performance this week.

What improves your productivity? Do you have suggestions? Please make comments, I would love to learn and hear from you too. If you need to speak further, you can also contact me or send an email to [email protected] and I will respond as soon as possible.

About me

Ezinne Allen-Obayagbona, fondly called 'Zinny' is the Founder and Lead Copywriter for Zinny Factor. She is an ardent reader and writer with several years of experience. Her articles help readers live a well-rounded life as a worker (whether as an employee, entrepreneur or both, aka side hustler)!
She is also a Wedding Photographer/ Videographer on Allen Oba Studios (www.obaallen.com) and is the Lead Copywriter for the photography blog as well as contributes articles to a number of other publishing platforms.